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"Oh, okay cool," Kai laughed, a sharp expulsion of sound. "Just casually. Poseidon. Sure."
I groaned, a wordless plea for him to shut the hell up.
"I'll send warning to the gods of what Cronus is doing here. And my apologies that I can't take you with me. The waters I travel by would devour you."
Yeah, that sounded about right. Fit the theme of the day. Or my whole life.
Wynvail was dying. Growing even weaker in our bond, draining all the life and fire from my soul.
Like the other horse, the green hippocampus dipped its head and swam away from us, no longer interested in murdering us.Unlikethe last one, this seahorse took the water with it. I hardly cared.
I slumped in Kai's arms, my feet meeting the ground again and all my strength sucked out of me. For a moment I just breathed, each exhale and inhale pure effort.
Kai was shaking. Emlyn and Harvey were injured. And Wynvail was dying.
20
"Oh, gods," I breathed, choking back the raw lump in my throat as I dropped to my knees beside Wynvail. Emlyn knelt on the wet ground beside him, putting pressure on his throat, but unable to stop the blood gushing from his throat even though he was unconscious. "Harvey—"
But Harvey was still a beast of fur and shadows, and when he swung his big head towards me, silver eyes gleaming with violence, my heart actually skipped.
What do I do?Wynvail was bleeding out, the life literally pouring from him.
On impulse, I reached inside my chest and grabbed hold of the bond that linked me to Wynvail, gripping tightly and not caring if it hurt him.Don’t you dare die. Don’t you fucking dare.If I reached him, if it made him hold on, I didn't care if I left fingerprints on his soul.Stay right here. You’re not allowed to leave.
Not releasing my ruthless grip, I stumbled to my feet, surprised when my legs had enough strength to hold me up, and faced my feral mate.
"Harvey," I murmured, taking slow, careful steps toward him on the slick ground.
"Haley," Kai warned, his voice low. He moved to follow me but I held up a hand.Trust me.He expelled a growling sigh. "If he makes a single move towards you, I'm yanking you back."
I nodded, not taking my eyes off Harvey as he snarled, his hackles rising. Dark smoke rippled from his fur, promising pain. I locked down my body so I didn’t flinch at the memory of him pinning me in the fighting pit, the agony that flowed through every part of me. I thought he'd kill me. I knew he nearly had.
Wynvail is dying, right now.
I held Harvey’s stare even as he bared his teeth, his eyes so dark they swallowed all light and his horns impossibly sharp. It would take very little effort for him to gut me on those.
"Be careful, Hales," Emlyn warned, tension sharp in his voice.
"Harvey," I breathed, freezing when he let out a growl. A warning—or a threat? "Come back to me. I need you. Please."
I slowly lifted my hand, holding it out to him, a plea written all across my face. He towered over me in this form, the malice coming off him in waves making him seem even bigger, but I didn't back down. I swallowed my dread and held my nerve. This was my mate. This was Harvey.
I inched closer, moving so slowly, my heart hammering with every second. If I screwed this up, he'd rip my head off. He'd have to live with that for the rest of his life, and that would be no life at all.
I crept close enough to tangle my fingers in the longer fur over his chest, the darkness softer than I expected. It didn't shock me with pain. Yet.
Harvey's whole body shook, a harsh sound rattling his throat.
"Oh, don't be a baby," I huffed, stroking down his chest. "It's only me. It's Haley, your Sugarplum. And you're Harvey, my Buttercup."
Gods, they were awful names. It had started as a joke and an insult, but now the names meant as much to me asmy roseanditzaia.
"You don't need to stay in the dark," I breathed when he didn't rip my hand off. I grew bolder with my touches, stroking his massive shoulders, his wide throat. "Please, Harvey. I need you. Wynvail's going to die."
His upper lips drew back, enormous teeth bared.
"I know," I agreed. "Iknowwhat he's done. But he's my mate, Harvey. If he dies—fuck, I don't want him to die."
